This is part two of how spiritual warfare has affected my race. Part one can be found here.
Most of my life I have been aware of the spiritual battles being fought around me. Some of the ways I have felt it include feelings that don’t match my circumstances, dreams, the inability to sleep, a sudden urge to pray, headaches, a knot in my stomach, panic attacks, dizziness, nausea, and illnesses.
Every place and every person carries a spiritual atmosphere. I may not always be able to tell exactly what that atmosphere is but I feel it. Sometimes I have wondered if the reason I enjoy being alone so much is because it means I’m not dealing with the spiritual stuff being carried around by others.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12
I can’t always explain what I’m sensing and it seems weird. How do you explain what it’s like to simultaneously feel amazingly light and joyful while feeling a huge burden that saps all joy? Usually it almost feels like living in two separate dimensions at the same time. Normally, I can recognize when the feeling is coming from outside me. Sometimes though, I try too long to handle it alone. When that happens, I become exhausted spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and eventually physically.
There have been many times when I have started down this path. It starts with self-imposed isolation. This is something I don’t really understand and often underestimate the extent of its effects. Throw in the fact that I struggle with my worth and you’ve got a dangerous mix that creates the perfect breeding ground for even more lies to take hold.
I need to be independent. Relying on others is weakness. If I share my struggles, it will be a burden.
The more I listen to these lies, the more I withdraw and don’t share with those around me. The problem being that none of us can fight alone. Sure it might work for a little bit but eventually, we run out of energy and the enemy overpowers us. We struggle to remember Truth and start seeing lies as reality.
I feel things deeply. So when those lies feel more true than what I know, it becomes hard to choose to continue believing the truth.
When we dwell on where and how we have seen God moving in the past, it gives us points of reference when the chaos of the lies threatens to unmoor us. There’s a reason God often tells His people to remember – write down the testimony (Hab 2:2) – teach it to the next generation. Remembering enables us to walk in greater obedience.
They did not keep God’s covenant, but refused to walk according to His law. They forgot His works and the wonders that he had shown them. – Psalm 78:10-11
What are the moments in your life that you can say with confidence that you saw God move? Have you shared them with someone recently? When was the last time you asked someone else how they’ve seen God move in their life?
Also, notice how the remembering is being done within the context of community? There’s something so powerful about sharing those stories with others and hearing their stories. As you declare what God has done, it creates a greater atmosphere of thanksgiving and praise that rekindles hope.
He established a testimony…which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children…so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God but keep his commandments…Psalm 78:5-7
Take some time to remember and share. I promise you will encounter the presence of God and walk away feeling renewed and strengthened.
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done…1 Chronicles 16:11-12
